Bell Gardens is a compact city in Southeast Los Angeles County, set on the west bank of the Rio Hondo and framed by the Long Beach (I-710) Freeway, roughly 10 miles from downtown Los Angeles. The city is named for businessman James George Bell, an early landowner, while the "Gardens" portion honors the Japanese tenant farmers who cultivated vegetables and rice on the area's fields in the early 20th century. Bell Gardens remained largely agricultural until the building boom that followed World War II, when new homes filled the open fields and the community incorporated as a city on August 1, 1961. Today the city spans about two and a half square miles and ranks among the most densely populated municipalities in California. Its population is overwhelmingly Latino, and the community retains a working-class, family-oriented character shaped by generations of newcomers to Southeast Los Angeles. The city's heritage is also visible in an early adobe mansion regarded as among the oldest surviving residences in the Los Angeles area. The local economy is anchored by landmark employers and institutions. The Bicycle Hotel & Casino, one of the largest poker card rooms in the world, sits along the I-710 corridor, and DEL Records, an independent Latin music label, is headquartered in the city. Dense commercial corridors along Florence, Eastern, and Garfield avenues serve residents with an array of neighborhood restaurants, markets, and services that reflect the community's deep Mexican and Central American roots. Bell Gardens suits households seeking an urban, walkable Southeast L.A. location with direct freeway access to downtown Los Angeles, the ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles, and the broader Gateway Cities region. Its small lots, close-knit street grid, and strong civic institutions give it a distinctive identity within the greater Los Angeles metropolis.